JERUSALEM — In the face of a new wave of death threats and a fresh challenge from his top Likud Party rival, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is pushing ahead with his unilateral disengagement plan. Sharon’s security cabinet voted 9-to-1 Tuesday to approve a range of proposals governing evacuation and compensation of settlers under the disengagement…
With the collapse of Argentina’s investigation into the so-called “local connection” of a deadly 1994 Jewish community center bombing, following the acquittal this month of five men charged with aiding the attack, the fate of an indictment against Hezbollah and radical elements of the Iranian government remains uncertain. The indictment against the Iranians and their…
Episcopalian Bishop V. Gene Robinson has a special attachment to the biblical story of Exodus. Indeed, Robinson holds a Passover Seder every year to commemorate the liberation of the Hebrews — as well as his own liberation. “I have drawn such comfort from that story,” said Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal priest to ever…
The merger that created the United Jewish Communities in 1999 has been a disappointment to almost everyone involved, according to the authors of the first detailed study of the process, which is set to appear in the coming months. The report, which is being compiled by two professors at Hebrew Union College, looks at what…
A group claiming to be America’s largest Nazi party has scheduled a rally on Yom Kippur — by accident. The leader of the Minnesota-based National Socialist Movement, Jeff Schoep, told the Forward that he invited like-minded groups to show up for a rally in Valley Forge National Historical Park on September 25, the day of…
‘Shofar… Judaism: A trumpet made of a ram’s horn, blown by the ancient Hebrews during religious ceremonies and as a signal in battle, now sounded in synagogue during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur. Etymology: Hebrew shofar, ram’s horn; akin to Akkadian sapparu, sappar, fallow deer… from Sumerian segbar, fallow deer.” (The…
WASHINGTON — Even as a lull in government leaks appears to be short-circuiting the media frenzy over the FBI’s investigation of the pro-Israel lobby, sources with access to the Justice Department say the probe is moving forward. Sources told the Forward that a federal grand jury is expected to begin interviewing people in connection to…
For our consistent contributor, Stanley Siegelman, no subject — no matter how lofty or lowly — escapes his prolific and potent pen, commonly dipped in a mad mix of acid and honey. Here’s his latest. NEWS ITEM: At least five women working at the United Nations charged that the organization’s high commissioner for refugees has…
Figures released last week from the Congressional Budget Office show a record $422 billion U.S. budget deficit this year — and a projected 10-year deficit of $4.5 trillion if President Bush succeeds in getting Congress to make his tax cuts permanent. Democrats, including presidential nominee Senator John Kerry, were quick to seize on the statistics…
The Bush administration has failed to act against a major Hezbollah infiltration of the United States, Senator Bob Graham told the Forward. In an exclusive interview, Graham, a Florida Democrat and former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite militant organization, has more trained operatives in America than Al…
One day, more than two decades ago, I walked into a Jerusalem bookstore — and stepped into a mystery. At the store, I met a man who was shopping named Reb Moshe Ashbel, an elderly, white-bearded Russian immigrant. As we got to know each other, Ashbel told me that he was a Lubavitch Hasid, a…
